Here in the Aroma Workshop, surrounded by herb gardens, let’s first talk about the background of Healthian-wood.
Healthian-wood started after the president of Maeda Pharmaceuticals, Daisuke Maeda, fell gravely ill while trying to revive a company in dire straits. The days were hard on him, both mentally and physically, and one day he collapsed from overwork. He suffered from severe headaches and had trouble using the muscles in his face. He reached the point where he couldn’t even get out of bed, and doctors couldn’t decide how to treat him.
After being bedridden for a week, an acquaintance suggested he try aromatherapy. Lavender, geranium, sweet orange – when he breathed in these aromas combined with herbs, it felt as if the heavy fog surrounding him lifted in an instant, and his pain immediately began to ease.
Aroma oils have the power to support the body and mind, and Maeda wanted more people to know about that power, so he dived into the world of aromatic oils. Then, he created this Aroma Workshop.
At The Workshop, staff specializing in herbs and aroma oils run seminars and workshops. Inside is a distillation machine that sparkles silver in the light, which was made for the craft of distilling shochu, a type of Japanese liquor, and brought all the way from Fukuoka. Here it’s used to extract aroma oils and waters from herbs harvested from the gardens.
Aroma oils are extremely valuable. For example, it takes two whole furrows of lavender to make a single small bottle of lavender oil. We would love for you to try the fresh aroma of the condensed essence of lavender.
Maeda hadn’t known much about aroma oils, but after he experienced their power for himself, it piqued his interest, and he began to learn about them. He discovered that the aroma oils sold as sundry goods in Japan at places like 100-yen shops are considered respectable medicinal products in countries like Germany, the U.K., and Belgium, and that their base ingredients are herbs.
It’s believed the roots of aromas in medicine date back as far as 2,500 years. The ancient Greek physician and philosopher Hippocrates began the practice by boiling an herb blend into a broth and serving it to people who felt unwell. It’s said that he had a collection of about 400 different herbs that he prescribed like medicine to cure things like stomach aches and headaches.
Hippocrates is also known as “the father of medicine.” The origins of medicine and medication lie in herbs.
As the president of a pharmaceutical company, Maeda felt this was a connection he was destined to make. “I changed the pharmaceutical company’s interpretation of ‘medication’ to focus on herbal medicine born from the blessings of the earth,” he said. “Wouldn’t it be interesting if that contributes to people’s health?”
That’s when he devised a plan to create an aroma oil workshop amidst the nature of Toyama. And while devising his plan, his ideas grew. “It would be great to have a spa that utilizes aroma oils,” he thought, and “What about a restaurant where you can sample the blessings of Toyama?” The result is the Healthian-wood you see before you.
